This invention refers generally to a method of playing a card game and specifically to the game of Blackjack or 21.
Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world today. The majority of all table games in most casinos are Blackjack tables. Even though Blackjack does not have the most generous house advantage, popularity of the game becomes an important factor in the distribution of floor space.
Blackjack is a card game in which players play against the dealer. In traditional Blackjack the player must first place his initial wager, the main bet, before any cards are dealt. The casino management will set the minimum and maximum limits for their establishments. Smaller casinos may have a lower maximum limit than a larger casino. A table sign is posted to let the public know what the limits are on a particular table. Players can vary in the amount bet each round as long as they stay within the boundaries of the table limit.
In traditional Blackjack, after all players have made their bets, each player is dealt two cards from one or more decks of 52 cards, both face-up as seen in multiple deck games or both face-down as seen in single and double deck games. The dealer is also dealt two cards, one face-up and one face-down. The face-up card is called the dealer's up card and the face-down card is the hole card that won't be revealed until all players play out their hands. In some European casinos, the dealer will not receive a second card until all players play out their hands.
Throughout time the rules of Blackjack have pretty much stayed the same. In Blackjack each playing card is assigned a count value. 2s through 9s count as their value, 10s and all face cards count as 10, and aces count as 1 or 11. The object is to beat the dealer's hand by reaching a total count value closest to 21 without exceeding 21. Based upon the initial two cards, the player may stand anytime, hit for more additional cards, double down and get one more card, or split any pair. Although the player may hit his hand until the desired point total has been achieved, if the player's point total goes over 21, the player is said to bust and will lose his bet immediately. Most players use the dealer's up card as a guide to stand or hit. The dealer must hit until his point total is at least 17. When the dealer has acquired 17 or greater, the dealer's hand is final. If the dealer's point total goes over 21, the dealer is said to bust and all players remaining in the game will win. The winning player is paid even money. However, if a player receiving a blackjack or “natural” in his first two cards, he usually is paid 3 to 2 if the dealer does not also have a blackjack. A blackjack is defined as the combination of any ace and any 10-value card in the original first two cards dealt.
Blackjack has been known for its low house edge, which is conducive to its popularity. In traditional Blackjack a player's blackjack is paid 3 to 2 (1.5 to 1) and the house edge is about 0.5%. However, a recent trend is toward paying blackjacks at 6 to 5 (1.2 to 1) odds or even 1 to 1. That raises the house edge to 1.5% or more. The casinos that pay less than 3 to 2 for a blackjack wish not only to increase their profit, but also to thwart card counting since traditional Blackjack can be beat by counting high and low cards as they are dealt out. Although it helps deter card counting, the much higher house edge hurts the majority of the players who don't count cards. Since the advent of the 6-to-5 Blackjack, many gaming experts and Blackjack players have condemned it as a rip-off and therefore have avoided such games.
On the other hand, there also is a drawback to 3-to-2 Blackjack. Since the payoff odds are not integral, 50¢ coins or chips are indispensable in order to pay off a player's blackjack. For example, a $5 bet is paid $7.50. Some casinos even use $2.50 chips in the hopes of expediting the dealing of the game. The 50¢ or $2.50 chips not only add to the casino's cost but also slow the game down. Imagine a dealer paying off a blackjack on a bet of $37.50! Moreover, if the player bets all the 50¢ coins they have received, it will bring the dealer more work because most dealers would try to collect the 50¢ coins when making a payment. For example, if a player bets $7.50 and wins, the dealer would pay the player $10 and take the $2.50 back so that the player cannot bet $2.50 anymore.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,897 discloses a variation of Blackjack wherein a player blackjack in a specified suit pays 2 to 1 and all other blackjacks pay 1 to 1. Also, the player may place a side bet on his getting a blackjack in a designated suit (e.g., diamonds) that pays 300 to 1.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,551 discloses a Blackjack game that provides a player insurance wagering option when a dealer first card is either an Ace or a ten-value card. An additional wagering option is provided when a player first card is either an Ace or a ten-value card that the player two-card total will be 21. Payouts for the respective wagers are varied according to whether the dealer or player first card is the Ace or the ten-value card and whether the two-card twenty-one is comprised of cards of a predefined relation such as same suit or color or cards including a 10-value card of a particular rank.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,565 discloses a method of playing a Blackjack variation wherein the dealer, instead of hitting his hand until it is 17 or greater, will hit until his hand beats the player's or busts. A player's blackjack is paid 1 to 1 unless it is suited, in which case it is paid 2 to 1.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,741 discloses a method of playing a Blackjack variation wherein a player's blackjack is paid 1 to 1, except where the player's blackjack is a one-suited blackjack, which is paid at a rate of greater than 1 to 1.
The aforementioned Blackjack variations either require the player to make an additional wager or introduce more liberal rules to entice more play, such as doubling down on two or more cards, surrender after doubling down and a 6-card automatic winner. These liberal rules do not come without a price, however. As the house edge on traditional Blackjack is very low, typically between 0.2% and 0.6%, player blackjacks must be paid even money instead of 3 to 2 to compensate for the loss of the casino's edge due to the liberal rules. The probability of getting an uncontested blackjack is about, 4.6%. By paying 1 to 1 instead of 3 to 2 on a player blackjack, the house gets an additional 2.3% edge (4.6%×0.5). For every four blackjacks dealt there will be one suited blackjack and for every 16 blackjacks dealt there will be one blackjack of a specific suit, e.g., Diamonds. While paying 2 to 1 for a suited blackjack reduces the house's additional 2.3% edge by ½, paying 2 to 1 for a blackjack of a specific suit only reduces it by ⅛. So, despite the liberal rules added, these Blackjack variations still have a higher house edge than does traditional Blackjack, and they won't mitigate the card counting threat without hurting the majority of the players who don't count cards.
Furthermore, traditional 3-to-2 Blackjack, unfortunately, “helps” make card counting more lucrative. A card counter raises his bet when the remaining deck is in his favor and reduces his bet when it is in the house's favor. The reason card counting for Blackjack works is obvious. When the deck is rich in high cards, even though both the dealer and player have an equal chance of receiving a 20 or a blackjack, (a) a player blackjack is paid 3 to 2, (b) the dealer hand, if not 17 or greater, must draw and can bust easily whereas the player can stand on a 15 and 16, and (c) the player can vary his draw, double and split strategy to take advantage of the situation. Among the rest, the 3-to-2 blackjack payoff contributes vastly to the card counter's profitability.
The present invention not only matches the payback which traditional 3-to-2 Blackjack can yield to give the player a fair shake, but it also:    obviates the need for 50¢ coins or $2.50 chips,    lessens Blackjack's vulnerability to advantage play of card counting, and    pays higher odds up to 6 to 1 to add excitement.